Auspicious Evening [OPEN]

[zeis]

The call to the hatching had come, and had after some deliberation been ignored. Now they lay comfortably on one of the highest still yet unclaimed eyling ledges. Above them was the star spattered sky, cold diamonds of light in the evening dark. The chill of the autumn air was intense, and he pulled his cap down tighter around his ears before burying his hands in the deep pockets of his jacket for warmth. The boy lay against his bonded's side, and he could feel the beating of her heart and the welcome heat that radiated through to him. He snuggled deeper into her yellow and green feathers, and her long tail curled obligingly around the two of them, settling over his lap like green blanket.

Far below their high altitude isolation they could see the crowds gathering around the Nesting Sands, all there to see the newest simourv of Spiderland enter the world. He watched passively for a moment, before turning his dark green eyes upward to the oblivion above. He wished everyone who stood down there good luck, but that part of his life was behind him now. The mind of the beast behind him, normally so guarded and tense was relaxed, truly and utterly so. Due to the special occasion for now the majority of the Eyrie was deserted, and that suited Akaturiaph just fine. The quiet, dark, and cold was refreshing, like a celebration of her own. The boy couldn't help be happy if she was.

Can I ask you something? He asked, breaking the mental quiet that had until just now been the exchanging of emotion and notion over words. Breath whuffed forcefully from the green simourv's nose, a voiceless assent. Why can we talk? ... What? Was the reply, caught off guard by the question and not entirely understanding at first. He furrowed his brow a bit and stared at a formation of stars in particular that kind of looked like a dog. Wild simourv don't speak human. Why do you understand when I talk to you?

How do you know they don't? Akaturiaph challenged with an exasperated sigh, and a flick of her ear. I didn't know you were a simourv expert. She said bitingly, rolling her golden eyes to gaze at the red-headed boy steadily. K'ii blushed at the criticism, and pulled her tail closer to him to fend off a light breeze. I just do. She offered finally as a means of response, finding the whole line of thought pointlessly convoluted and stupid. Who cared why they understood after all? Why shouldn't she understand something her rider knew so well already?

Do you ever wish you were wild? K'ii ventured after a moment, letting his normally limited imagination stretch a bit more in these solitary moments. He didn't say much publicly, but he was a bit more forthcoming and uncandid in private with Akaturiaph. The green found his conversation valuable and appreciated, even if he said stupid things half the time. Like right now. Why would I ever wish that? She asked in a mildly disgusted tone, stretching a wing out before folding it again.

You could do what you wanted. Be alone. He reasoned, frowning a little the more he thought about it. He had meant that they could be away from all the crowds that made the green uncomfortable, but reflecting on it... If she was a wild simourv, that meant she and him would have never met. Akaturiaph lifted her head and cast a wilting glare over him. Do you think I want to be alone? Starving, hunted, and dirty? She flattened her ears against her head, and clicked her beak agitatedly. That blue everyone was gossiping about, do you think he's happy?

I- K'i responded tentatively, and didn't even get a word in before his incensed green continued. He wasn't, I guarantee that. I don't want anything he has. I'm happy. She grumped forcefully, cocking her head to gaze at him with a predatory stare to see if he understood. K'ii, his conversation so thoroughly hijacked, merely swallowed and nodded before turning back to look at the stars. Maybe he should just stay quiet in his head too.

[Quill]

The decision to ignore the call to the hatching rested solely upon Sal'a's shoulders. It wasn't like Sydnyph didn't have a choice in the manner, but instead, Sal'a was more stubborn than usual. The dark blue wanted to see attend the important gathering, but when Sal'a showed discomfort toward the meeting, he understood and decided tending to His was more important than some grand gathering. After all, there was the feast afterward. They could meet and greet the new winglets there.

Sal'a instantly began climbing and Sydnyph was quite confused. He watched for a few moments and only spoke up when she lost her grip on the rock. "Mine, what are you doing?"

"Climbing. I want to get higher." The simourv narrowed his dark eyes as he watched her struggle more. Then, slowly, he unfurled his wings, flapping a gust of wind toward her.

"I have these for a reason," Sal'a smiled at the large creature as she slid down the cliff side, shaking off the dirt that grasped to her bare limbs. They looked at each other for a moment, pondering whether to fetch the riding gear, but it was just up there, just the Cliffside Caves. Sal'a wouldn't have cared, but a pleading expression from his rider convinced Sydnyph to do away with the protocols. The large blue flattened his body so his winglet could get on. They rose and Sal'a giggled. They hadn't done this much since the lesson where they took to the skies together for the first time. The decent was slow as the simourv was careful as possible.

When they landed minutes later, she was surprised to see another non-rider at the Cliffside Caves. Her understanding this was where most of the riders stayed, but with the Alphas and flying, this place wouldn't be so unfamiliar to the rest of the older winglets. They landed and Sal'a slid off. She looked uncomfortably at the sky and then at the nesting sands below. Clearing her throat, she contemplated going down again. "Oh, no you don't. You wanted to be here. Sydnyph blocked the way with his tail and Sal'a shook her head at the simourv.

"Hey, K'ii," she greeted. "Didn't feel like entering the hustle and bustle either?" Sydnyph bobbled his head contently and then looked at Akaturiaph. He searched his mind for something to say and instead nodded a greeting, but there was nothing so instead he settled on the unclaimed Eyling.

[winged]

Logic dictated that a hand that once touched fire ought not dare to shove their fist into the flames again. Fortunately, I'dou wasn't the sort to let that stand in the way of hard headed determination. That monumental snippet of her life, when she'd fully realized what a gift Laraph and her wonderfully feathered appendages were, had already begun effecting drastic shifts in her previously miserable existence. It had been a very humbling (and slightly embarrassing) aftermath, as she'd worked furiously to scrub every trace of tears off her face on the sleeve of whatever jacket she'd been wearing at the time. She'd long ago picked up the discretion that ran so rampant amongst men - young men, especially. Tears meant weakness.

And she certainly didn't want to show any signs of weakness. Especially not now - when she and her Gray were just beginning to reconcile, and forge a stronger bond over the somewhat secretive 'private lessons' they'd been initiating since that first fateful flight. After all, one didn't get better without a little practice. And this time, they both made sure that the conditions were absolutely optimal, both for flight and for evading detection. There were wing cramps, and rough, jarring starts and stops that left I'dou hobbling like a wizened old crone, but the payback was worth all of those risks.

Laraph was flying, they were BOTH flying. The both of them, working together, and without the bother of anyone else. That was, in fact, exactly what they'd been gearing to do when the cries had rang out in the Bowl - frenzied shouts and clamoring bodies hustling for the cavern with nothing on their mind other than the rocking eggs. It had, admittedly, given Laraph pause when she realized that Eceph's eggs were hatching, but I'dou had managed to coerce and sweet-talk her into proceeding as planned. This made it an even better time - they could fly in more familiar areas in what light yet remained in the day. One couldn't ask for better.

Secured tightly in place, I'dou gave a hearty slap to the side of Laraph's feathered neck to draw the Gray from her pointed musings of the action taking place distantly. "C'mon, we'll hear all about it later!" There wasn't a queen egg in the lot, and I'dou truly didn't care to stand through the proceedings so soon after that Tawny's clutch hatched not so long ago. Next time, she promised, even as a sinister little voice bothered to mention that it might be Laraph's own.

Such thoughts were easily pushed aside, fortunately, as soon as Laraph had made the adjustments necessary to proper posturing, and had managed to fling herself skyward without too much strain. There was a trick to getting such a large body of mass off the ground, one learned through many failures and days of soreness for both. The air was crisp and getting cooler by the second, so the rush of wind through feathers was a constant whir of motion and sound to either side of I'dou - not that it mattered, for the young woman was more concentrated on being absolutely certain that Laraph was aligned properly, and not listing in any way.

Then it was simply a matter of enjoyment, and the occasional rise of noise as applause and congregated cries echoed in the near distance. Laraph whispered, from time to time, the names of one pair or another, always a slight hint of longing hidden in the recesses. Kaykeetaph and E'ry just Bonded, oh I wish we were watching... That comment, and the wistful sigh that threw off their third loop of the Eyrie were the final straws for an understandably frustrated I'dou, and that was when the winglet had had enough.

All right, let's land. Giving with grudging, although well meaning reluctance, I'dou began searching for an easily available alcove for Laraph to alight, the Gray actively doing much the same while settling into a glide in order to lower their altitude much more naturally than a steep dive. She didn't quite have the muscles built up for such manuevering. She didn't find an isolated one, however...

Oh I'dou! K'ii and...Sal'a are sitting together! And Akaturiaph and Sydnyph! Let's sit with them, and we can watch the rest of the Hatching! Quite pleased with how neatly things seemed to be turned in her favor, Laraph circled one last time before making a beeline for the green and blue, without so much as a 'thank-you ma'am' for her rider's concerns.

I'dou said not a thing the entire time, whether out of consideration for the tricky business of landing in a spot so cramped already by two large simourv, or because she had been wordlessly outwitted by her well-meaning Gray, it was difficult to tell. Laraph managed the landing with some last-minute adjustments, however - long enough for I'dou to unattach herself from the harness and slide down to stand alongside the newly arrived Sal'a and the already settled K'ii, before selecting another nearby alcove to more comfortably wrap herself up in, cooing a slightly tired but still warm greeting to her clutch siblings. And I'dou managed herself to bounce back quickly from the unexpected thrust into company's midst, stamping her feet and quickly shoveling hands freshly shucked from their riding gloves into her pockets.

"Bit cold out to be sitting out here, don't you think?" A more direct question to K'ii, who she at least recognized and knew on a very distant level. Sal'a was more closely fixed with a searching glance meant to look as anything but - cool indifference was a crowd pleaser, and she'd come to wear it almost naturally.

[zeis]

Akaturiaph was the first to noticed the arrival of the others, feeling and sensing other powerful simourv minds like her own. She raised her head from where it had lain on her clawed feet to stare off into the dark, before K'ii had even registered the flapping of great wings. Sal'a and I'dou are coming. She relayed to her clueless rider a little sourly. The green might as well try to be cordial, as he rider had already ruined the harmony of the evening with his incessant questions. K'ii blinked, but lifted a hand and waved a greeting when the blue-gray form of Sydnyph landed on the same ledge beside them. There was more than enough room for the green and the blue beside them, but fitting Laraph would be a bit more of a squeeze. The gray was considerably larger than either of them.

Still, she was a gray, and Akaturiaph was pushing herself to her feet to make room for her if she asked. It turned out to be a useless courtesy though, as Laraph dropped off her rider before taking up residence on an alcove near to them. She cawed a greeting back at the gray, offering a slightly reserved but friendly tendril of thought out to her. She sent similar to Sydnyph, whuffing at him through her nose as she resettled herself around her rider. Other than these emotions, she offered no real conversation as of yet. Like her rider, she was quiet in the public sphere, unless her ire was raised.

"Hi, Sal'a. Aka doesn't like crowds." He offered as a way of explanation before turning his attention to I'dou. The boy kept having multiple out of class run-ins with the future Phoenix, and though they never really spoke much, this had at least done some work to dispel his fearful illusions of her. He wasn't the friendliest person, prone to jealousy, emotion, and suspicion. She wasn't exactly a ray of sunshine either, at least they had that in common. He smirked faintly at her question and patted his thick jacket. "Dressed for it. Not a lot of warm places you can see the sky."

He shoved Akaturiaph's warming tail off of his lap, and rose to a stand with his wince. His legs and butt felt numb and aching from the cold of the stone, even with his layers of clothing and his simourvs warmth. The boy stretched and cast a curious glance at the huge cavern entrance to the eyeling behind them, dark and forboding. "My brother said these have lanterns and braziers in them... Maybe we can warm up inside?" He offered curiously, eying the unknown darkness beyond them with curiosity. Or course, his brother's only experience had been with already occupied eylings, but who knew? Maybe these unused ones stored supplies for the future graduation of the Alphas. At the very least it would be an adventure.

[Quill]

Sal'a had always called her simourv smart. Even she didn't know in what context. Nevertheless, Sydnyph would always deny that he was no smarter than the average simourv. Still, before K'ii mentioned a word, the blue took a few steps away from settling down. Before he had the chance to relax, to lay his head down on the cold stone, his head sprinted up. Sal'a patted the simourv's leg and before she knew, he had stood. Laraph and I'dou are coming, he announced to her.
Are you sure? I would think they would be down there.
No, here. Here.

The winglet dropped her head into her hand. There was a reason she avoided the authority figures when with Sydnyph. When I'dou dropped down from the gray, the blue warbled a greeting and when Laraph landed, he extended an even more enthusiastic greeting. Finally, he relaxed and sat next to His again who leaned about the blue's side, feeling his warmth. It always surprised her how formal Sydnyph was.

When K'ii shared the fact about Aka not liking crowds, she glanced at Sydnyph and then back at K'ii. "I see," she said. "We all have our preferences." Crowds were fine. Training as a guard taught her to be cautious when in them, but she had no problem. For a moment, she wanted to admit she didn't like hatchings, but it seemed like a very stupid idea.

"Brought a coat," she announced. Truth was, she was freezing. She loved the heat and there was a time when she was more tolerant to the cold, but that time had past and she was still adjusting. Sitting next to Sydnyph, she was fine, but backing away would stiffen her muscles. At least the gloves and heavy boots she wore helped keep some of the chill out. She looked at I'dou for a moment, but then the statement about warmth seemed tantalizing. She stood, too sudden for her tastes. "I think it's worth a try since it sounds reasonable enough." The prospect of warmth flew out of her mouth with each word.

[winged]

Laraph did not find the assembled greetings to be extraordinary at all. In fact she welcomed them with due thanks, certain to touch the minds of both sister and brother before retreating back to her own wholesome musings on the Hatching below. The warmth backlighting her dark brown eyes was reserved mostly for the hatchlings she knew were stumbling about the sands - she remembered, faintly, the scenario from the standpoint of a freshly hatched chick. Everything was so new...and bright, and so many creatures on two funny legs and the thoughts in their heads! It had been absolutely mesmerizing, and she relived it quietly as the riders comingled. Sydnyph and Akaturiaph had neither of them the reputation for being chatty, and Laraph did not feel any immediate desire to force any conversation on them - their presence and acknowledgment was enough for her.

I'dou found it rather funny that the two of them had somehow reversed positions - bringing the subject up to Laraph privately elicited a throaty warble from the Gray, and a touch of warmth before the simourv retreated once more to tend to the matter of her sight-seeing. K'ii's smirk did not go undetected, and I'dou made a point of wrinkling her nose in suggested distaste (and secret amusement) at the smart comment he returned. "I can see why the stars might be more important than watching future riders being born, oh yes." Stamping her sturdy if not attractive boots to knock some feeling back into her slowly numbing extremeties, the Gray winglet tucked her hands conservatively into her armpits, her breath snaking in wispy coils above her dark head of hair. The temperature was beginning to plunge - winter was just around the corner.

In pointing such backwards logic out, she perfectly avoided explaining why she wasn't there watching. And underscored that lack of knowledge with its notable absence. Sal'a's later answer drew a snort from the Phoenix in training, and a bemused, sardonic glance. I'dou, too, was wearing a coat - it was sufficient for blocking out any cutting winds while flying, but sitting still was another matter entirely. "Guess my coat's just not cutting it, then. It never felt this cold back...elsewhere." An awkward segway, and I'dou shifted a bit uncomfortably as she reviewed her almost faux pas with a sullen sort of frown, eyes averted. That place wasn't home, and hadn't been for a very long time.

You're being silly again. Ja'son and Foph are bonded, oh Foph is such a good protector. Laraph thought it prudent for I'dou to realize she needn't brood in public over a silly slip-up. This alongside her crooning for the newest winglet pair, a distant congratulations for ears that would never hear her. It was the thought that counted though, right?

I'dou did manage to shake herself out of her pensive little reverie, long enough to interpret K'ii's suggestion as a bit of a dare, which sparked a certain competitive streak that had the woman's eyes glinting with stubborn intent. Whilst the blue rider chipped in her two cents, I'dou pointedly began striding towards the yawning entryway, waving back to the other two. "While you decide, I'm going to go get warm." She'd be the first in there, whatever it was that lurked in the shadows...

[zeis]

K'ii nodded at Amaryllis, casting a cautious glance back at Akaturiaph. It had been tough for the boy to make friends or really get close to anyone since his bonding to the green. While he was thankful for having her, she made his life incredibly difficult sometimes. The green fixed him with a warning golden eye, and he straightened visibly, turning hi gaze back to the two other Winglets. He smiled at the blue-winglet, but stiffened a little at the way I'dou spoke. He'd heard that tone of voice before, having grown up with an older brother. That was the 'are you afraid of the dark' voice. He hadn't meant the adventure to be any sort of challenge, but if the Phoenix wanted to make it one he was going to accept.

The boy jogged lightly to catch up with the grayrider, waving at Sal'a for her to follow. They entered the dark mouth of the cavern, and the darkness swallowed them completely. The cold wasn't quite so bad in here, the ancient stones faintly heated from some unseen source, probably the same that tended to most eylings and the Hatching sands far below. He wandered cautiously in the dark, drifting away from the other would-be explorers in the huge room. He held his hands out in front of him like a blind man, and was rewarded by kicking his foot painfully into something hard and hollow. In the darkness the green-rider yelped and stumbled over whatever it was with a curse, and a hollow thump. "Ah! Damnit!"

What is it? What happened? Akaturiaph was in his mind instantly, rising halfway from where she lay outside with harsh caw. "Nothing, nothing, I just kicked something..." He called out in mild embarrassment, meaning to soothe her an any questions from the other explorers. The green lay back down with a resigned sour expression. Be careful then. She grumbled, and looked at Laraph and Sydnyph speculatively. Do your riders have eyes as useless as mine?

K'ii meanwhile unaware his simourv was complaining about him, felt over what it was that had tripped him. A huge wooden... chest? He patted the rounded top, feeling the grain of wood beneath his fingers. Like the ones they had in their rooms only much larger. "Anyone found a light yet?"

[Quill]

Zeis? Amaryllis in the hatching. I'm sure you meant Sal'a, right?

bic;

I'dou's response made her nervous; she did not know what to think of the look and tone. It was extremely frustrating since she was so good at figuring out people. Guess that was one of the things she gave up when Sydnyph entered her mind. The trade off was well worth it. Sal'a twisted her mouth at I'dou's words. When her twin and her played as children, she had been the one who would dare her sister with similar words. Now, the roles were reversed. Shaking her head, she stood and followed, as soon as K'ii motioned to her. The bluerider did not like, feeling like the decision was being made for her when she very well would decide to enter the cave.

The cave felt quite foreign to her. Sal'a was use to them, but she preferred if there was some dim light to show where she was. Stumbling in the dark. Because there was three of them, surely a light would have been found. Though probably not in the safest manner. Even if they didn't, it was warmer in here. With each breath, she felt warm circulate in the rock structure. She heard sounds from K'ii, but she did not know how to react. If he had split his head from a stray stone, no one could reach him to help, but when he called out, Sal'a let out a sigh. She didn't want to have to worry about finding a light and a first aide kit.

Quite. Sometimes I wonder how Mine ever got along without me before. Do you?

[/i] he questioned his feathered companions. Shifting his weight, he felt a bit more comfortable around the two. The bluerider heard the thought and scoffed, but he had some truth. Things just felt better when Syd was around. She recalled many instances while feeling the walls. It was hard for her to feel the metal through her thick shoes. She toppled overand reached for it. "I think I found a brazier," she said, opening the cage and feeling the contents inside. Coal?[/blockquote][/size]

[winged]

The challenge was sufficient in drawing the woman's thoughts away from more dire territory. Being plunged into such absolute darkness made focusing entirely vital, lest she stumble and take an embarrassing pitfall in front of her peers - as K'ii seemed perfectly willing to demonstrate. His yelped expletive gave the gray rider a start which was fortunately masked from sight by the encroaching, slightly stale darkness of the cavern interior. "Way to go." Bemusement softened the mockery, even as her eyes slowly drifted from where they'd pinpointed and strained to track the green rider's status. He wasn't whimpering or rattling off a line of crude language, so she operated under the presumption that he'd stubbed a toe, or something else minor.

Digesting the lesson to be had from K'ii's clumsiness, I'dou was careful to toe the open space around her; her sense of direction and more importantly her position in space were compromised. Her eyes were particularly sharp, and without them she was bereft of the degree of confidence she'd worn whilst strutting in here ahead of the others. Another thing the darkness and the quiet shadowed, to her express relief. To her credit it only took a few seconds of uncertain groping before one gloved palm pressed against solid rock, and she leaned gratefully against it as Sal'a exhaled audibly and K'ii requested an update on their progress, and the blue rider announced her discovery. I'dou began to shake her head in response to K'ii, before recalling that the boy wouldn't be able to see it, and with a chagrined twitch of the lips vocalized her reply. "My pockets are empty. So what the hell are we gonna do with braziers and no light?" A light snorted echoed from her direction, mingling with the sound of the winglet absently patting herself down in a 'just in case' search for something to ignite.

Laraph had grown quite drowsy in the immediate absence of her rider, as exhaustion wore down the invigoration of being outdoors. In her sheltered alcove, the gray sleepily yawned, beak gaping wide open in a breach of etiquette before her glossy feathers fluffed against a chill breeze. Akaturiaph's brusque question elicited a familiar fondness - she sounded almost like I'dou on a grouchy day. If they were useless wouldn't he be blind?[/color] It was an exceptionally obvious question, falling neatly into the traits that categorized the junior queen so well - perhaps too neatly. Sometimes it was just simpler to play the dunce, and she very much did not feel like arguing with the cranky green. She was enjoying herself just fine, and Sydnyph filled in the conversational gap quite nicely. A very pleasant combination indeed.[/size]